Losing lots of quality

[KOHR]

Hey everyone, I was just wondering if anyone could give me a quick answer to my question here: Every time I go between premiere pro and after effects I have to render and export as AVI (for some reason I can't import HD 24p sequences straight from ppro to ae) and it would seem that I'm loosing massive amounts of quality every time I do this... to the point that it would seem that I wind up with SD quality video after editing in After Effects. How can I keep my video looking crisp and HD? When I render it and export to AVI is it decreasing the quality? If so, by how much? How can this be avoided?? Thanks!!

Edit- Okay, so I have been working on my after effects for about an hour now, trying to find out what I'm doing wrong. It seems that I can only grab something straight out of Premiere Pro (without rendering) if it is SD! Very strange. Though, it could actually be the fact that my HD footage is from a Canon HDV camcorder. I had to get an additional plugin so that this would work in premiere pro, do I need another plugin so that I can then move those files into after effects without rendering? Whenever I try to move them directly from premiere pro to after effects without rendering, all I get is the testing symbol... hmmmm

P.S.- I have already tried reinstalling after effects after having premiere installed on the pc. I've gone into my after effects files, the premiere pro import plugin is installed and everything, but it seems I just can't import footage captured from a Canon HDV cam. Any thoughts??

 

[Matt Grunau]

Well, if you are applying destructive codecs when you render (and you have made changes) you are going to get generational loss. This would include any DV codec, DivX, Xvid, any of them really. If AE is not recognizing the 24p sequences inside their 29.97 shell and is not able to do the correct pulldown, you may have luck manually telling AE how to treat the files under the Interpret Footage section, or simply render the sections you need from Premiere at 23.976 as something like a Quicktime file with the Animation codec, which while being a compressed codec is lossless kinda the same way winzip is.

But you will have some massive file sizes, be be forewarned.

Then since the file is rendered in that format, AE will have no choice but to see it as 24p and you can tweak accordingly.

As long as Premiere project is set up properly for the HD footage and as long as you make sure you are rendering out to HD frame sizes and at 23.976, you shouldn't have a problem. And if you are going to be using AE for effect generation and mograph type work, dont bother rendering with audio. You won't need it (unless you have to have it for a reference) and you will be simply replacing the section you rendered from premiere with the altered version you create in AE. And render AE as the exact same dimensions as the original footage (again, something like a Quicktime file with the Animation codec).

But multiple use of codecs to bounce footage back and forth is generally a no no.

 

[KOHR]

Well, if you are applying destructive codecs when you render (and you have made changes) you are going to get generational loss. This would include any DV codec, DivX, Xvid, any of them really. If AE is not recognizing the 24p sequences inside their 29.97 shell and is not able to do the correct pulldown, you may have luck manually telling AE how to treat the files under the Interpret Footage section, or simply render the sections you need from Premiere at 23.976 as something like a Quicktime file with the Animation codec, which while being a compressed codec is lossless kinda the same way winzip is.

But you will have some massive file sizes, be be forewarned.

Then since the file is rendered in that format, AE will have no choice but to see it as 24p and you can tweak accordingly.

As long as Premiere project is set up properly for the HD footage and as long as you make sure you are rendering out to HD frame sizes and at 23.976, you shouldn't have a problem. And if you are going to be using AE for effect generation and mograph type work, dont bother rendering with audio. You won't need it (unless you have to have it for a reference) and you will be simply replacing the section you rendered from premiere with the altered version you create in AE. And render AE as the exact same dimensions as the original footage (again, something like a Quicktime file with the Animation codec).

But multiple use of codecs to bounce footage back and forth is generally a no no.

Thanks!
Though, i'm not quite sure exactly what you mean by these "codecs" ... I know how to use the programs but I don't really know much about the technical sides of things. And could you please tell me where the "interpret footage" section is in AE? I've never seen that before. Thanks very much!

 

[Matt Grunau]

Thanks!
And could you please tell me where the "interpret footage" section is in AE? I've never seen that before. Thanks very much!

Right click on your footage in the window that shows all of the elements in the project, and you will see it.

Then, you can make changes you want.

Also, don't make a composition by simply creating one and choosing from the templates there. Simply drag your footage down to this box:

And a new composition will be automatically created to the exact length, frame size, and frame rate as the footage.